Improvement in fruit drier and steamer



W. BRAID'WOOD.

FRUIT-DRIER AND STEAMER. No-. 183,630. Patented Oct.24, 1876.

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Witnesses. Inventor. wflc 33 zwmh/y NVPETERS, FNDTO-LITHDGRAPHER,WASHMGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

WILLIAM BRAIDWOOD, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN FRUIT DRIER AND STEAMER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 183,630, dated October24, 1876; application filed March 31, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Beit known that I, WILLIAM BRAIDWOOD, ofMount Vernon, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, haveinvented a new and Improved Apparatus for Drying and Steaming Fruit andother articles, which invention is fully set forth in the followingspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, inwhich- Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 2 is atransverse vertical section.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in a closed vessel, the lower part of whichforms a chamber, which communicates by a circuitous flue with anescape-pipe emanating from the top of said vessel. Above the chamber arecompartments for the reception of the articles to be dried or steamed,said articles being placed in trays made of perforated sheet metal orother equivalent material, from which the vapors rising during theprocess of drying or steaming pass off through an escape-pipe or channelprovided for this purpose. The escape of these vapors is promoted bycurrents of air admitted into the drying or steaming compartment.

1n the drawing, the letter A designates a closed vessel, which is madeof sheet metal or any other suitable material. In the bottom part ofthis vessel is formed a chamber, B, which is intended to be filled withwater and which communicates by a circuitous flue, G, with anescape-pipe, D, emanating from the top of the vessel A. If the water inthe chamber B is heated, either by placing the vessel A on a stove, orby means of steam or heated air, the steam rising from said watercirculates through thg flue O, and the interior of the vessel A isuniformly heated throughout.

Above the water-chamber B are situated two (more or less) compartments,E, on the sides of which are secured ledges a, for the support of traysF, which are intended for the reception of the articles to be dried orsteamed. Said compartments communicate with a pipe, G, which serves tocarry oil the vapors rising from the articles in the trays F, and whichis independent of the steam-escape pipe D.

The trays F are introduced into their compartments and removed therefromthrough doors L, in the front side of the vessel A. In the rear part ofthe vessel A I arrange pipes I, which serve to admit currents of coldair into the compartments E, the pipes in this example leading into thelower parts of said compartments, but said pipes may be made tocommunicate with the middle portion of said compartments, or additionalair-pipes may be employed.

In the water-chamber B are formed longitudinal channels J, which extendfrom the front to the rear part of the apparatus and communicate at therear end with a common transverse channel, K, the top part of which isperforated in such a manner that the air admitted to the same throughthe longitudinal channels J, and which becomes heated by contact withthe hot water in the chamber B, escapes through the perforated top partof the channel K into the lower drying and steaming compartment E. Therear portion of the longitudinal channels J also is perforated, as seenin Fig. 1, so that the hot air escapes not only from the transversechannel K, but also from the longitudinal channels.

In that part of the circuitous flue G situ ated immediately below theupper steaming and drying compartments E I arrange hot-air channels J K,similar to those in the waterchamber B, the transverse channel K and therear portion of the longitudinal channels J being perforated, while theair entering by the longitudinal channels J becomes heated by the actionof the steam passing through the flue G, and in its heated state isadmitted to the upper drying and steaming compartments E. The object ofadmitting a current of hot air into the heating and drying compartmentsE, as last described, is to create a gentle draft throughout theapparatus, for the purpose of carrying oif the vapors arising from thefruits or other articles in the process of drying. By the transversepipe K or K the air is very evenly diffused. The front ends of thelongitudinal pipes J or J may be closed by suitable dampers, so that thesupply of air may be cut off at any time.

The doors L contain dampers E, Fig. 1, by which cold air may be admittedto the apparatus without its being necessary to open the said doors,such dampers extending the entire length of the doors and transverselyof the apparatus. The air admitted by the dampers H to the front part ofthe apparatus acts in conjunction with that admitted to its rear part bythe hot-air channels J K or J K, not only for clearing the apparatus butalso for regulating the heat.

With my apparatus may be combined a thermometer, M, so that the exacttemperature of the drying and steaming chambers E may be ascertained atany moment, the bulb of the thermometer being bent inward and allowed toenter the apparatus while its recording part is situated exteriorthereof.

By this apparatus I am enabled to dry fruits and vegetables of differentkinds, also meats and other articles, in a short space of time; also tosteam the same, all danger of scorching or spoiling the articles byoverheating them being obviated. The heat in the steaming and dryingchambers can be regulated with the greatest nicety by means of thehotair channels J K or J K, as well as by the dampers H, and in theescape-pipes D and G are dampers b, which also assist in regulating thetemperature. The escape of the steam through the pipe D creates a draftthrough the escape-pipe G, whereby the drying process is promoted.Instead of producing the steam by means of water placed in the chamberB, steam may be injected from a generator, which in that case can beused for supplying several driers.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An apparatus for drying and steaming fruits and other articles,composed of a closed vessel, A, containing a chamber, B, a circuitousflue, O, compartments E, for the reception of trays F, and escape-pipesD and G, one for the escape of steam to create a draft in the other,which serves for the escape of moisture arising from the material to bedried, all constructed and operating substantially as shown anddescribed.

2. The combination of hot-air channels J K J K with the closed vessel A,chamber B, circuitous flue O, compartments E, trays F, and escape-pipesD and G, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand andseal this 10th day of March, 1876.

WM. BRAIDWOOD.

Witnesses:

W. HAUFF, E. F. KASTENHUBER.

